X-Men: Civil Rights
It is no secret that the X-Men franchise (comics, cartoons, movies) make allusions to contemporary societal issues like civil rights, prejudice and equality, which are metaphorically played out in the famous confrontation between the mutants, who are evolved types of human beings with extraordinary powers due to some genetic mutation (the X-gene), and the humans, who do not (yet) possess such powers and are hence normal and ordinary. As a childhood fan of anime and manga, I quite like ‘X-Men’, not only for its artistic and literary qualities but also for its sociopolitical implications. The franchise, like many superhero stories, is highly entertaining due to the many different types of superpowers possessed by the characters (mutants), and such a big pool of characters consists of many unique and individual dramatic arcs which are intricately interwoven into a big ensemble drama (not very different from legendary Asian manga franchises such as Captain Tsubasa and Slam Dunk).
The underlying debate and dilemma are also powerful and relevant to the values of our modern civil society, as they revolve around a central question: how do and should we respond and react to societal prejudice and discrimination? The main debate centres on the dilemma faced by the mutants who, due to their extraordinary and superhuman abilities, have become victims of prejudice and ridicule, and most of them have at some point of their early lives been ostracised by the (human) majority of the population. The key positions are expressed by the two main characters who also happen to be super-mutants and leaders of their respective factions: Professor X/Charles Xavier, founder of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, and Magneto/Eric Lensherr, leader of the Brotherhood. Both of these groups consist of mutants, as the former offers shelter and refuge to young and confused mutants ostracised by society while the latter publicly advocates for mutant rights and protection in face of widespread human resistance. It is interesting that these two groups of mutants hold contrasting yet mutually non-exclusive views on the Mutant Problem described above, and their respective views underlie their strategies in dealing with global prejudice and discrimination: Professor X believes that mutants should remain low-key in using their mutant abilities (and hence identity) and seek to integrate with the rest of the world and be at peace in a society where non-mutant humans are the majority. This pacifist attitude entails a systematic self-suppression of the mutants’ inherent powers as they are taught to behave and appear to others like normal human beings which is perceived to be key to peaceful integration. The X-Men (Professor X’s students), therefore, use their mutant powers very sparingly, mainly in emergency situations which demand a response. The Brotherhood, on the other hand, is much more self-assertive as their leader, Magneto, encourages his followers to proactively fight for what they believe that they deserve, namely mutant rights and dignity, even if these are denied to them by the rest of the human (non-mutant) world. Members of the Brotherhood, then, are not shy in using their mutant powers which they see as their basic right, and they are willing to use them in response to non-mutant resistance, which often results in head-on conflicts and collisions, not only between mutants and non-mutants but also between members of the Brotherhood and the X-Men as the latter try to stop the former by coming to the rescue of the humans, which forms the core of the drama and action of the franchise.
These contrasting approaches have been shown to stem from Professor X and Magneto’s different upbringing and early life experiences, especially in the excellent prequel/reboot X-Men First Class (2011) where it is shown that Charles Xavier grew up in a sheltered and privileged environment which fostered kindness and empathy in him while Eric Lensherr’s inhumane treatment and suffering in the Nazi concentration camps made him vengeful and aggressive to all those who wronged him. This is particularly evident in the juxtaposition of their mothers’ fates: as Charles lived with his mother in the comforts of his mansion, he became sympathic and empathetic towards other mutants and was willing to offer shelter and protection to those on the run such as young Raven (‘Mystique’) whom Charles met in a chance encounter when she was disguising as his mother. This foreshadows his eventual role as Professor X and his establishment of his school for mutants where he teaches them to deal with non-mutant hostility with kindness and patience. In contrast, Eric and his family were deported to the Nazi concentration camps in Poland and he had to witness his mother’s execution at the hands of none other than the cruel Sebastian Shaw which not only triggered his latent mutant powers of controlling metal but also instilled anger and vengeance of explosive proportions in him. Charles and Eric’s respective childhoods could not have been more different, which led to their radically different outlook as mutant leaders.
The most famous analogies in the X-Men franchise are the allusions to the African-American civil rights movement in the 1960s where two legendary African-Americans, Martin Luther King (MLK) and Malcolm X, came head-to-head in a debate on how to tackle inequality faced by contemporary African-Americans in the US. Like MLK, Professor X adopts a peaceful and non-violent approach in his reaction to societal prejudice and inequality, whereas Magneto is similar to Malcolm X in his scepticism towards non-violence and is prepared to fight for equal rights in a deeply unequal society. It must be said, however, that despite of their different and contrasting approaches towards the same sociopolitical phenomenon, namely that of global and societal prejudice and discrimination against their own kind (‘mutants’/’African-Americans’), both the ‘Professor X/MLK’ and ‘Magneto/Malcolm X’ lines of argument are legitimate and are in fact not mutually exclusive, since as they both seek the same solution, namely better accommodation and livelihood of the same disadvantaged and disenfranchised group (‘mutants/African-Americans’), they naturally lay emphasis on different aspects of the said group, namely their outward-facing and inward-facing characteristics. Professor X and MLK, both in their highly intellectual minds, are focussed on reimagining the role played by mutants/African-Americans in the world, which leads them to negotiate the external relationship of their respective groups with the rest of the world, specifically non-mutants/White Americans with whom they desperately seek to avoid confrontation or conflict. Their message of peaceful integration is perfectly legitimate and deeply powerful, as they strive to rebuild their relationship with the ‘other’ which they believe is key to creating a world where everyone can co-exist peacefully and enjoy his/her fair share of equality. Magneto and Malcolm X are more champions of their own kind, since they are first and foremost concerned with the internal welfare of their respective disadvantaged groups (mutants/African-Americans), and as both of them desperately seek to improve the lives of their fellow mutants/African-Americans which they place above all else, they would not hesitate coming into conflict with the interests of the ‘other’, even if this might jeopardise their relationship with them. On the premise that Professor X/MLK and Magneto/Malcolm X are focussed on different aspects of their undervalued/underrepresented sociopolitical groups, there may be more similarity and common ground between them than their superficial differences might indicate, since there is a priori no reason why one cannot seek to achieve both goals at the same time i.e. internal prosperity of one’s sociopolitical group and external peace and co-existence with the rest of the world, both of which are vital towards survival in a civilised society. Rather than contrasting and polarising both approaches, it may be helpful to think of Professor X and Magneto as representing two sides of the same ‘mutant’ coin, one being inward-facing (Magneto) and the other outwards (Professor X). Magneto can hence be seen as the champion of his group of mutants as he fights for better quality of life for his fellow mutants, while Professor X is more of an ambassador representing mutant interests in the wider context of the entire world. Both of these mutant heroes stand for different yet non-mutually exclusive values and principles which underlie their fight for mutant prosperity and justice in the world.
In a world where sociopolitical identity crises abound and people are constantly comparing one another, it is tragically inevitable that conflicts arise, especially in situations where no compromise can be reached. At moments like these, one is often faced with a dilemma similar to the mutants above: does one look inwards in protection of one’s identity and interests, or does one turn outwards to face the rest of the world, including and especially one’s enemy, until one feels comfortable with one’s place in this hostile environment? It may be difficult to sustain both strategies simultaneously and to equal effect, and there may be many shades of subtle differences in this spectrum of inward/outward-facing attitudes that one may have to adopt and adapt in accordance with one’s unique circumstances, but the ultimate goal, the holy grail in finding one’s feet in a civilised and peaceful world should be a simultaneous recognition and awareness of both approaches and the implementation of both to the widest possible extent. This may be idealistic utopia, especially in our highly flawed society and deeply imperfect world, but there is no reason why this cannot be upheld as the guiding principle, at least from the outset. Do not give up.
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Originally published at http://keithtselinguist.wordpress.com on March 1, 2023.
